European Parliament bars lawmakers from using AI tools
(2026/02/17)
- Reference: 1771349334
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2026/02/17/european_parliament_bars_lawmakers_from/
- Source link:
The European Parliament has reportedly turned off AI features on lawmakers' devices amid concerns about content going where it shouldn't.
According to [1]Politico , staff were notified that AI features on corporate devices (including tablets) were disabled because the IT department could not guarantee data security.
The bone of contention is that some AI assistants require the use of cloud services to perform tasks including email summarization, and so send the data off the device – a challenge for data protection.
[2]
It's a unfortunate for device vendors that promote on-device processing, but the European Parliament's tech support desk reportedly stated: "As these features continue to evolve and become available on more devices, the full extent of data shared with service providers is still being assessed. Until this is fully clarified, it is considered safer to keep such features disabled."
[3]
[4]
The Register contacted the European Parliament for comment.
Data privacy and AI services have not been the greatest of bedfellows. Studies have shown that employees regularly leak company secrets via [5]assistants , and on-device AI services are a [6]focus of vendors amid concerns about exactly what is being sent to the cloud.
[7]Gentoo moves to Codeberg from GitHub after airing Copilot concerns
[8]CIOs told: Prove your AI pays off – or pay the price
[9]GitHub previews Agentic Workflows as part of continuous AI concept
[10]KPMG partner in Oz turned to AI to pass an exam on... AI
The thought of confidential data being sent to an unknown location in the cloud to generate a helpful summary has clearly worried lawmakers, which is why there is a blanket ban. However, the issue has less relevance if the process occurs on the device itself.
The Politico report noted that day-to-day tools, such as calendar applications, are not affected by the edict. The ban is temporary until the tech boffins can clarify what is being shared and where it is going.
[11]
The European Parliament has scrutinized AI over recent years and has enacted the world's first [12]legislation specifically designed to address perceived risks from the technology. The ban, alongside guidance to steer lawmakers away from using the services for Parliament business, is more about fears about where the data could end up than anything specific about AI.
The guidance also advised against granting third-party AI apps broad access to data, which seems a sensible instruction regardless of where a user works. ®
Get our [13]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-parliament-blocks-ai-features-over-cyber-privacy-fears/
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aZTzERk8N3exCOs62g9yXQAAAMg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aZTzERk8N3exCOs62g9yXQAAAMg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aZTzERk8N3exCOs62g9yXQAAAMg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/07/gen_ai_shadow_it_secrets/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2024/01/25/apple_generative_ai/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/17/gentoo_moves_to_codeberg_amid/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/17/no_roi_no_ai/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/17/github_previews_agentic_workflows/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/16/kpmg_partner_in_oz_turned/
[11] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aZTzERk8N3exCOs62g9yXQAAAMg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2024/03/13/eu_ai_act/
[13] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
According to [1]Politico , staff were notified that AI features on corporate devices (including tablets) were disabled because the IT department could not guarantee data security.
The bone of contention is that some AI assistants require the use of cloud services to perform tasks including email summarization, and so send the data off the device – a challenge for data protection.
[2]
It's a unfortunate for device vendors that promote on-device processing, but the European Parliament's tech support desk reportedly stated: "As these features continue to evolve and become available on more devices, the full extent of data shared with service providers is still being assessed. Until this is fully clarified, it is considered safer to keep such features disabled."
[3]
[4]
The Register contacted the European Parliament for comment.
Data privacy and AI services have not been the greatest of bedfellows. Studies have shown that employees regularly leak company secrets via [5]assistants , and on-device AI services are a [6]focus of vendors amid concerns about exactly what is being sent to the cloud.
[7]Gentoo moves to Codeberg from GitHub after airing Copilot concerns
[8]CIOs told: Prove your AI pays off – or pay the price
[9]GitHub previews Agentic Workflows as part of continuous AI concept
[10]KPMG partner in Oz turned to AI to pass an exam on... AI
The thought of confidential data being sent to an unknown location in the cloud to generate a helpful summary has clearly worried lawmakers, which is why there is a blanket ban. However, the issue has less relevance if the process occurs on the device itself.
The Politico report noted that day-to-day tools, such as calendar applications, are not affected by the edict. The ban is temporary until the tech boffins can clarify what is being shared and where it is going.
[11]
The European Parliament has scrutinized AI over recent years and has enacted the world's first [12]legislation specifically designed to address perceived risks from the technology. The ban, alongside guidance to steer lawmakers away from using the services for Parliament business, is more about fears about where the data could end up than anything specific about AI.
The guidance also advised against granting third-party AI apps broad access to data, which seems a sensible instruction regardless of where a user works. ®
Get our [13]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-parliament-blocks-ai-features-over-cyber-privacy-fears/
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aZTzERk8N3exCOs62g9yXQAAAMg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aZTzERk8N3exCOs62g9yXQAAAMg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aZTzERk8N3exCOs62g9yXQAAAMg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/07/gen_ai_shadow_it_secrets/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2024/01/25/apple_generative_ai/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/17/gentoo_moves_to_codeberg_amid/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/17/no_roi_no_ai/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/17/github_previews_agentic_workflows/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/16/kpmg_partner_in_oz_turned/
[11] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aZTzERk8N3exCOs62g9yXQAAAMg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2024/03/13/eu_ai_act/
[13] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Anonymous Coward
"It's a unfortunate for device vendors that promote on-device processing"
It's not as they lie: 'on-device' is marketing BS and every one of them sends *something* back.
Also: If the data is accessible by US-owned vendor, it is accessible to US authoritites (by law) and it being 'on-device' is irrelevant.
No-one tries to sell a system they can't access at all. Funny that.
Where else is sufficently intelligent?
Anonymous Coward
Is there anywhere else that has similar rules about lawmakers, or military people, or whoever else you judge similarly at risk?
Outstanding decision
ecofeco
See title.
Smart move.
Re: Outstanding decision
Anonymous Coward
Yeah, especially with the likes of OpenClaw prowling, mauling, scraping through parliamentarians' data, lacerating privacy, mutilating sovereignty, with the goal of savagely slashing, ripping, and tearing apart what's left of human dignity, agency, and security in such institution.
I don't have enough hands to applaud this decision at the level it deserves! Hopefully they stick with it ...
"amid concerns about content going where it shouldn't."
Everything will go to the USA. Directly and immediately, or via logs, corporation and NSA.
Euro Parliament is at top-10 of spying targets, globally.